


Paopu

by Hooked_Wings



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Best Friends, Boys In Love, Destinies Intertwined, Falling In Love, Friends Forever, How to REALLY share a paopu fruit, M/M, Riku In Love (Kingdom Hearts), Soriku - Freeform, Together forever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:29:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25245427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hooked_Wings/pseuds/Hooked_Wings
Summary: A re-imagined telling of the scene where Kairi gives a paopu to Sora in Kingdom Hearts III, from Sora's perspective.  SoRiku (Sora x Riku).Sora gives a paopu to Riku.
Relationships: Kairi & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Riku & Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	Paopu

**Author's Note:**

> Suggested music accompaniment while you read: "Sunset" from Kingdom Hearts OST. Youtube link: (play on loop) https://youtu.be/934NXuWgWcc

“Hmmm. Hey, why is Riku all alone?” Sora pondered, wondering why his friend didn’t come join them at the curved paopu tree like he normally did.

[memory refresher: Riku is talking to replica Riku within his mind]

“He said he needed time to himself.” said Kairi, “Let’s let him be.”

“Hm….” Sora squashed down the urge to run over to his friend and make a silly face at him to cheer him up. Kairi said he wanted to be alone…

Kairi rummaged around in the branches while Sora was lost in his thoughts, starting at Riku in the distance. Was Riku okay? Why did he still look a little sad sometimes?

“HERE!” Kairi shoved something yellow in Sora’s face. A paopu fruit?

“Huh!?” asked Sora, taken aback.

Kairi only tilted her head a little, still holding it out. A faint chuckle sounded from her throat.

“Uh…” Sora looked from Kairi to the fruit, and back to Kairi. 

She smiled, waiting patiently while still holding out the fruit.

‘Tomorrow’s fight will be our toughest yet.” She let her arm relax as she said this, but then held up the fruit again towards Sora, insistently. 

_But, someone else asked me first,_ thought Sora. Memories from a couple years ago flashed back into his mind. The three had been walking back from this spot towards the shack. Kairi raced ahead in the front, Sora and Riku trailing behind on the wooden bridge.

“Sora!” Riku had called out. Sora turned right as Riku tossed something to him. He caught it and looked down at his hands. It was yellow five pointed fruit.

“You wanted one, didn’t you?” Riku pointed at him.

“A paopu fruit?” Sora asked, wondering about the sudden question from Riku was all about.

“If two people share one,” Riku said as he walked toward Sora, “their destinies become intertwined.”

“They’ll remain a part of each other’s lives no matter what.” Riku said as he walked by Sora. “Come on,” Riku said in a playful voice, waving his hand as he continued to walk, “I know you wanna try it!”

Sora looked up watching Riku, “What are you talking--”

“Ahahahaa!” Riku laughed and kept walking away.

Sora tossed it to the side where it landed with a little plop in the water over the side of the bridge, and ran to catch up to Riku, who went into a run as well when he heard Sora racing to catch up.

\-----

Sora blinked, staring at the paopu that was being held out to him, bringing him back to the present.

“I want to be part of your life no matter what, that’s all.” Kairi said in her soft voice.

 _Oh._ Thought Sora. _She just wants to make sure we’re friends forever. Or at least, that we’ll always see each other again._

 _Well, I suppose it'll make her happy. We don’t know what’ll happen tomorrow, after all._ Thought Sora. He looked down at her hand, which was STILL holding out that damn fruit, and reached out to take it.

A series of friendship bracelets circled around Kairi’s wrist. From Selphie, Wakka, and the others? Had she shared fruits with all of them too?

Sora smiled, realizing he was being silly a moment ago in his hesitation. Of course he wanted to be able to see all of his friends again time after time. Even earlier today, he was hoping that when their journey was over, he’d still get to visit Donald and Goofy now and then.

The battle. He knew it would be difficult. But Sora would do everything he could to keep his friends from harm. “Kairi, I’ll keep you safe.” Sora promised.

“Mm-mnn.” Kairi nade the no noise as she shook her head. “Let _me_ keep you safe.”

 _Oh yeah, she’s been training with her new friend Axel._ Thought Sora. Kairi shoved another paopu right at Sora’s face. _Oh we are feeding them to each other? That’s not how Riku said it worked...but okay…_ Sora took an awkward bite and held his out to Kairi. Disappointingly, it didn’t taste like bananas.

He didn’t want to ruin Kairi’s mood by explaining that she didn’t do the paopu ritual correctly, so he just waited patiently while she took a bite out of the other fruit. 

Sora smiled kindly at his friend. Kairi was quite the sentimental one, always with the friendship bracelets and remembrance charms. She smiled back.

They turned and sat in silence a while, watching the sun go down and letting Riku have his time alone. They didn’t finish their fruits, they were notoriously bitter. Maybe that’s why it took a little courage to share one like in the legend. When the sky turned purple and the sun was set, Kairi waved goodnight at Sora and made her way home.

Sora sighed and thought of Riku. He turned, looking over to the beach. It was covered in shadow now, but he still made out the silhouette of his friend. Sora balanced along the tree and reached up at the spot where it curved, plucking a fresh fruit from the branches.

Sora rushed over to where Riku was sitting on the sand. Riku had been leaned back on his arms, his eyes closed enjoying the breeze. He opened his eyes and looked up as Sora approached.

“Hey, Sora.”

“Hey.” Sora went and sat very closely next to his friend. “Are you done having time to yourself?”

“Well I guess I am now!” Riku teased, leaning abruptly and bumping shoulders with Sora. 

Sora chuckled, but then looked down at the fruit in his hands. He could hear Riku’s younger voice in his head. _If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined._ Sora knew Riku knew the real legend. Kairi had done it all wrong, but that was okay. This was the one that really mattered.

“Riku, do you remember when you gave me one of these, before we left the islands?” 

Riku turned to gaze at his friend, reading his face, “You remember that?”

“Yeah. I do.” Sora said softly. He winced as he took a bite of the fruit. It crunched and the bitterness made his nose wrinkle, but he chewed it up and swallowed it bravely. “I want our destinies to be intertwined, like you said.” Sora held out the fruit to Riku.

Riku looked at him, his aquamarine eyes had become a deep indigo in the purple after-sunset light. 

“We have to share the same one for it to work, right?” Sora asked, wondering why Riku was staring at him that way.

“Yeah, that’s right.” Riku reached over and took the paopu fruit. Sora had handed it to him with the un-nibbled ends facing Riku, but Riku turned the fruit around in his hands so the bitten point was facing towards him.

Riku looked back at Sora intently, and without taking his eyes off him, slowly raised the fruit to his mouth and bit the same spot where Sora had. Riku’s eyebrows knitted together a little from the bitterness, but his gaze remained fixed on Sora.

“I’ll always be there for you, Sora.” 

Sora smiled. “I’ll always be there for you too. No matter what.”

Riku smiled then, and it was beautiful.

The two looked out to the ocean. The light from the moon shimmered across the water, and the sky was turning more indigo than purple now.

“Then, I have nothing to worry about.” Riku said, smiling at the waves.

Sora nodded, leaning back into the sand and relaxing with his arms folded behind his head. “Me either.”


End file.
